This is what happened the last time Wellington celebrated Peter Jackson. Photo: Getty

Peter Jackson has confirmed his intention to film JRR Tolkien's Lord of the Rings prequel The Hobbit.

The Kiwi director had earlier ummed and aahed about taking on Tolkien's earlier tome but he told reporters in Berlin ahead of the European premiere: "I'd be interested in doing it because I think it would give continuity to the overall chapter."

Jackson also hinted at returns for Ian McKellen, who plays the wizard Gandalf, and Andy Serkis, who voiced and defined the movements of the creature Gollum. He also said Liv Tyler, who plays elven princess Arwen, could reprise her role in the story, which is set 50 years before the events of Lord of the Rings.

The latter move is likely to court controversy because Arwen is hardly even mentioned in The Hobbit, and Jackson has already attracted criticism for beefing up her part in his adaptation of The Lord of the Rings when she was a minor character in the books.

Jackson, whose next project will be a remake of King Kong, said he was sad but relieved that his seven-year mission to film the Rings trilogy was nearly over. He also revealed that the third instalment was his favourite of the trilogy as it had "a stronger emotional depth" and "a sense of closure".

Meanwhile, Serkis is touting himself for the role of king monkey himself in Jackson's next film. "There have been talks about it," he told BBCi Film. "Nothing's absolutely certain yet but I'd love to work with Peter again so hopefully, hopefully... I started dropping my ape movements in towards the end of playing Gollum, you know!"